It is known to use a phenolic stator body in a torque converter and to contact the stator body directly with turbine and/or impeller shells. However, phenolic is extremely brittle, the phenolic material suffers degradation in the high speed, high pressure, and high temperature environment inside a torque converter, and phenolic stator subsequently suffer from undesirably high fail rates. It is known to replace a bearing, between a stator in a torque converter and the impeller shell or the turbine shell, with a bushing or friction material. It is known to include grooves in a metallic stator body for a torque converter. In general, roller bearings are engaged with the grooved surfaces. Known grooves are aligned orthogonally to an axis of rotation for the torque converter, or form a straight diagonal line with respect to a radius of the axis of rotation.